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Many options for contributing today during Giving Blueday

University, School of Dentistry identify scholarships and other funds

Ann Arbor, Mich., Nov. 29, 2016 -– Three School of Dentistry scholarship funds are among those available for anyone wishing to make a financial gift today during the University of Michigan’s annual Giving Blueday.

The fund-raising event began at midnight Monday and runs through 11:59 p.m. today (Tuesday). It coincides with Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving following Thanksgiving weekend. Anyone associated with the university – students, staff, faculty, alumni, friends and fans – is encouraged to select a fund that is meaningful to them; some donations carry matching dollars so the gift is boosted. Giving Blueday is a day for everyone who loves Michigan to join together and support the university.

Campus-wide funds have been identified by the central administration, while individual colleges and schools across campus also have specified needs within their departments. For the School of Dentistry, the following funds are listed as Areas of Highest Need on the Giving Blueday donation website: myumi.ch/6jd0d

In videos posted on the School of Dentistry YouTube channel, four students discuss how scholarships have helped them and why they are grateful for the support. See the videos here: myumi.ch/6wp7N

Sheri McCormack, a third-year student, said the first thing she did when she learned of her scholarship was email her parents. “I felt completely grateful and honored,” she said. “To the donors that funded my scholarship, thank you for making tuition less of a burden and thank you for seeing the value in me as a dental student.”

Michael Halcomb, a second-year student and first-generation graduate student, said he and his wife felt relief when they learned they would receive financial support for his tuition. They were particularly struck that donors would want to help lift up students they had never met. “We don’t have to sit and question every day, where are we going to get the funds to be able to pay for my education, how are we going to pay this back?” Halcomb said.

Receiving a scholarship was such an important development for Amanda Robertson, a second-year student, that she remembers the day of the week – a Monday – that she got the news and immediately forwarded the email to her husband. “I was so excited, I didn’t know what to think,” she said. “I was, and still am, so grateful.”

Ryan Keener, a second-year student, said the positive impact of his financial support makes him want to return the favor someday. “I hope I will be able to impact someone’s life the way you did for me,” he said of the donors who made his scholarship possible.

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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the school to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit us on the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.